Found Tonight
by Quasi11
Summary: The Farmer finds a heartbroken Jodi at the saloon and tries to comfort her.


Stardrop Saloon  
8:00 PM, Fall 19

"Well, if it isn't our favorite farmer! What'll you have?" Edward heard as he entered the saloon and shut the door behind him.

"I'm thinking something to warm me up a bit, Gus... maybe some mead?" The portly man behind the bar nodded and began preparing a drink. Edward peeled off his jacket and hat and hung them on the coatrack before tiredly plopping down at his usual table. Almost immediately after Emily appeared with a tall glass filled to the brim with a sweet-smelling alcohol.

"You look tired," Emily said as she placed the drink in front of him. "Please tell me you weren't actually working in this weather, were you?"

Edward smirked at her. "What can I say?" Despite the weather reports from the day before warning of a massive thunderstorm he had planned to spend all of today chopping down trees and clearing a small plot of land to construct a second coop, and he'd be damned if he was going to let some bad weather stop him.

"Just be safe," Emily sighed and began walking back to the bar. "And let me or Gus know if you'd like anything else."

Taking a sip of his drink Edward glanced around the bar, trying to see who else was there. It was... surprisingly empty, especially for a Friday night which were usually the most packed. Shane was there, of course, sitting off to the side and seemingly entranced by a can of beer. Willy was there also, sitting at the bar and chatting up Gus as he worked. There was only one other patron in the saloon besides them and Edward, and it was someone he'd never seen there before.

Jodi sat in the corner-most table, sequestered away from the other patrons. Her head was resting in her palms and Edward could very faintly hear sobs from the distance he was at. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. Jodi had never once been to the Stardrop in the three years that Edward had been in town, and he had never once seen her cry either. Taking his drink with him he stood and moved to sit at Jodi's table.

As he took a seat Jodi raised her head just barely, noticing someone else's presence. "Edward..." she said sniffling, her bloodshot blue eyes meeting his dark hazel. She looked like a mess. Her clothes were soaking wet, her hair disheveled, and tears were freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Gus, let's get another mead over here," Edward said just loudly enough to be heard. "Jodi..."

"What happened?"

"I-" Jodi started, but her voice caught in her throat as another sob escaped her lips.

Silently he reached his hand out and lightly touched her shoulder. "It's okay. Take all the time you need." His voice was soft, and despite her state she found herself slightly calmed by it.

They sat in silence for a moment, during which Emily brought a second mead to the table.

"I... I took Vince to Penny's trailer to borrow a book she'd been reading to them today during their tutoring," she started, looking down into the glass of mead placed in front of her. "When we got there, I saw-" she sobbed again. "I saw Kent... and Pam."

Edward's eyes widened. "Kent and Pam... like together?"

Jodi nodded. "I had Vince stay outside, and I went in to talk to them," her fists clenched on the table, turning white. "Kent said... he said that I've been so inconsiderate since he came home from war. And he said that Pam makes him feel 'like a man' again," Her voice was pained and filled with regret. She began sipping at the glass of mead, totally emptying it in less then a minute. "Penny came by and I asked her to take Vince home... and I came here." She finished.

"How could Kent do that?" Edward's blood was boiling. Jodi was one of the sweetest people he'd ever known. And as much as he liked Penny, her mother was a far different story. He couldn't see how or why Kent would go to Pam of all people!

"I don't know!" Jodi replied, her voice cracking.

"What if... what if he's right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if I have been a horrible wife?" She asked, looking up from her empty glass to meet Edward's eyes. "Things have been so hard since he came home from the war... Did I drive him away? Was I not trying hard enough?"

Suddenly she felt two strong arms wrap around her as Edward pulled her into a soft hug. Being at least eight or nine inches taller than her and significantly bulkier from all of the heavy work he did on the farm, Jodi figured that their hug must have looked strange to anyone else in the bar. She wasn't tall by any standards, being only 5'2, and with the exception of her "assets" she was rather petite. She tensed up as he held her, but her muscles soon relaxed as she took in the feeling of the farmer's warm body against her. She nuzzled her head into his neck, inhaling and taking in the earthy scent that always seemed to cling to him. Her tears stopped for a moment after she drank the mead. But this interaction with Edward, with a friend she knew truly cared about her, sent her over the edge again and she began crying again.

"I don't want to go home to him..." she said into his chest, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't want to leave Vincent with him."

Edward nodded his head. "I know," He places his hand on the back of her head and gently began stroking her hair, somewhat fruitlessly attempting to calm her down. "You're welcome to stay at the farm if you'd like."

Jodi pulled away slightly and looked up at him. "Really?"

Edward nodded once again and gave her a warm smile. "We can stop by your house and get Vincent aft-"

"No!" She interrupted him. Her voice which had only been a whisper seconds earlier practically shouted at him. "Sorry," she apologized, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "I... I don't want Vincent seeing me like this. I'm his mother, I'm supposed to be strong."

Edward thought for a moment. "Why don't we call Sam and ask if he can take care of Vincent for a few days then?" He offered. "At least until you're feeling well enough to see him."

"Do you think he'd be okay with that?" She asked. Her oldest son Sam moved out of her home a few months ago to live with his girlfriend Abigail in a small house they had Robin construct just outside of town.

"Why not? He and Abby come by to visit you and Vincent all the time anyway." Edward pointed out. "I'm sure they'd love to have Vincent over." Jodi stayed quiet, thinking. After a moment she nodded her head.

"Okay," She said finally. "But about me staying with you… Are you sure? I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"It's no trouble, I promise. Honestly I'd like the company." He said with a smile, standing up and offering a hand to her.

"So, should we start to head out?"

After paying for their drinks Edward called Sam and Abby to explain the situation to them. Sam was understandably furious at his father, and the couple agreed to look after Vincent until Jodi was feeling better.

Edward and Jodi left the saloon, the latter wearing the former's coat and hat to stay dry as she didn't have her own. The two of them walked along the road exiting the western edge of the town to the farm. As they finally arrived at the farm Jodi gasped at what she saw.

The farm was far different then what she had expected. Being so close to the forest's edge left much of the property covered in a veil of grass, trees, and in the rain Jodi thought it was absolutely stunning. All of the buildings were clustered in the northeastern corner of the property just next to the main road; the farmhouse, barn and chicken coop all lined up next to one another. It seemed that the only part of the farm that was actually dedicated to farming was directly in front of the buildings. In the heavy rain she didn't recognize any of the crops that were growing, not that she would have been able to recognize them in sunny weather anyway.

They walked up the steps to Edward's front porch and he began fumbling with his keys trying to open the door. Jodi continues to look out at the farm, mesmerised by its beauty. She had never given it much thought before, but it hit her that this was her first time ever seeing the farm. _"That can't be right,"_ she thought to herself. _"Edward has been here for almost three years, surely I've been here before."  
_  
Edward finally opened the door and ushered her inside, interrupting her train of thought.

While the farm itself surprised Jodi, the interior of the farmhouse was exactly how she would have pictured it. The kitchen was off to the left, the tile floor contrasting the dark wooden floor of the rest of the house. Next to the kitchen there was what she assumed was a living room area with a loveseat, a recliner, and a fireplace with a television mounted over it. To the right of that was a hallway that she assumed lead to his bedroom.

"You like it?' Edward asked.

"I love it!" She said enthusiastically.

He cracked a smile. "I'm glad," He said. He paused for a moment, looking the two of them up and down. "I think we should probably get out of these clothes."

"Wh-what?" Jodi stammered, her cheeks turning a slight rosy red hue.

Edward looked at her strangely for a moment before realizing what he said. Jodi wasn't sure but she thought she saw his cheeks color a bit as well. "I meant that our clothes are soaked and that we should probably get changed," He specified to her. "I know you don't have any other clothes with you, and none of my clothes would fit you, but I have a robe you can borrow if you'd like."

She nodded. "That would be lovely."

"Alright. I'll bring it out and then I'll go get changed in my room," He said. Jodi opened her mouth to ask a question, but Edward spoke before she was able to. "After you've changed just leave your clothes by the fire to help them dry," He left down the hallway and returned a moment later with a blue bathrobe.

She took the robe from him and held it up to gauge its size. "It's a little big, but it'll work great. Thank you." She said kindly. Her friend smiled back at her.

"I'm glad," He said, turning his back to her. "I'm going to get changed, I'll be back in a minute."

"Um…" She started. "Actually, I have a question."

Edward stopped mid-step and turned back to face her. "Whats up?"

"Well…" She said, nervously running a hand through her rain-soaked hair. "We're both pretty wet, and I was wondering… My underwear is sort of soaked through as well," As she spoke Edward's expression changed. "Would it be okay with you if I took that off as well? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything because it's your house-"

"Of course that's fine with me Jodi," He interrupted. His voice sounded strange to her, but

"Oh," She sighed in relief. "Thank you." Edward smiled at her before turning and walking down the hallway to his room.

Jodi waited to hear his door click shut before she began disrobing. She peeled off Edward's coat and hat and set them next to the fireplace. Looking down the hallway to make sure his door was still closed she pulled her purple shirt up over her head and laid it out with the coat and hat. Next came her boots and her ratty old jeans. She looked down the hallway again, ensuring that he could not see her. Taking a long breath she unhooked her bra and slid her panties off her hips and down her leg. They too joined the pile. Just as quickly as she disrobed she had put on the borrowed robe and tied it tightly in the front. The sleeves ended just past her fingertips and the robe stopped at just above her ankles, but it would work well enough. _"Plus,"_ She thought. _"The additional length might help keep me from accidentally flashing him."_ Her cheeks reddened at the thought of Edward seeing her that way.

As she finished tying the robe Jodi heard the bedroom door open. "Are you dressed?' Edward asked her.

"Yes, you can come out," She replied, and he entered the room. Gone were his overalls and flannel shirt, replaced with loose pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She smiled at him as he entered. "Thank you for the robe. It's very soft."

"Of course Jodi," He replied, placing his hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. His hand lingered on her shoulder for a moment, and although she didn't see his eyes drifted over her body, noticing how the tightly-tied robe showed off her curves.

He coughed. "Anyway, I think I'm going to whip up something to eat. You hungry?"

Jodi nodded, realizing that because of Kent she had totally forgotten about dinner. "I'm famished," She admitted.

She noticed that Edward was looking at her in a strange way, but when their eyes met his expression became neutral once again. _"Must have been my imagination..."_

"Then I'll be sure to cook up something delicious. Please, make yourself at home while you wait." He said.

Jodi sat down on the loveseat, tucking her feet underneath her rear end. Edward went to the fridge and took out various ingredients. She watched him as he cooked, expertly moving through the kitchen, handling multiple cooking pots and pans at once. She lost track of time as her mind drifted from topic to topic. Despite everything she had to occupy herself with though, her mind kept on drifting back to her current predicament.

Despite her gratitude towards Edward, Jodi still felt that same weight in her chest and in her skull that originated when she saw Kent and Pam together. The same mixture of feelings; betrayal, anger, embarrassment, and even a little bit of self-doubt. Her husband's words at the trailer hit her hard and there was a small part of her analyzing every interaction with him over the last year, desperately looking to prove that she was as good of a wife to him as she could be. _"I don't want to think about any of this… I want it to all go away,"_ she thought.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice her host glancing over at her every few minutes as he cooked. He knew that he shouldn't have been thinking that way, but he couldn't help noticing how good she looked. Despite being a bit older (Edward didn't know for sure but he figured she was in her late 30s or early 40s) she didn't show it at all. Still fresh-faced with barely a wrinkle to speak of, and from what he had seen from walking in on the aerobics class at Pierre's a couple of times she was in great shape.

He had always thought that Jodi was attractive, in the sense that he could tell she was pretty but he never thought much of it. But it wasn't until now, with her sitting on his couch wearing only a robe to cover herself, that he realized he wanted her.

"Here you go," Edward said, snapping her back into reality. He was standing over the couch with a plate of food in each hand. "I hope you like fish."

"It's my favorite." Jodi replied. She took one of the plates and he sat down next to her, handing her a fork as well. She looked over the plate of food, seemingly impressed based off the expression on her face. The fish kwas so tender it cut using just her fork and she took a bite. "This is so good!" She said and began hungrily devouring her meal. Beaming slightly Edward began eating as well.

The two of them made idle small talk as they ate, but just as quickly as the meal started it was over. Edwards stood and took their plates to the sink before plopping back down onto the couch.

A moment of silence hung in the air between the couple, both wanting to speak but having very little idea what to say.

"So..." Jodi started, but her voice trailed off. Edward opened his mouth to ask her what she was going to say but ended up clenching his jaw shut. _"He seems... tense?"_ She thought.

"Thank you." She said finally, breaking the silence.

Edward shrugged. "It was no trouble. I was going to cook the bass for dinner anyw-"

"Not just for the food," she clarified, nervously tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. "For everything. Letting me stay here, making sure Vincent was alright. For being so understanding."

Edward rubber her shoulder and gave her another of his warm smiles. "Of course," His expression changed slightly, but Jodi couldn't tell to what he was thinking. "I'm sorry for asking, and please tell me if I'm overstepping any boundaries here. But did you at all see this coming?"

Jodi thought about it. "I don't know," She said finally. "I mean, I'm sure you know that things haven't been easy between Kent and I after he returned from the war. He's had... issues adjusting to normal life again. He blows up at me for the smallest things and never explains to me what I did wrong. And I know-" She cut herself off abruptly, blushing slightly.

"What is it?" Edward asked. Jodi looked at him hesitantly for a moment before speaking again.

"We... we haven't been intimate since before he left for the war," She said, her cheeks burning red. "But that wasn't by my choice! He was never interested in any of that after he got home."

"Oh." Was all Edward was able to say, shocked that she had actually confided something that personal in him. But also shocked that Kent had actually refused her. _"He must be daft."_ He thought to himself, almost chuckling.

"I thought he just wasn't interested in having sex. I-," Jodi's voice caught in her throat, and Edward could see her eyes beginning to glisten with tears. "I never even considered that he didn't want sex because he was getting it from someone else!" She screamed in frustration, as the well of feelings she had tried to close all day burst open once again.

Tears began streaming down her face onge again and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Edward as she began loudly sobbing into his shirt.

"Why?" She yelled into his muscular chest. "We've been together for as long as I can remember. Why would he do this to me? To our kids?!"

"I..." Edward was taken aback. "I don't know." Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around her sand held her softly. Despite everything inside of him begging himself not to think that way, a part of him couldn't help thinking about how close the two of them were; and that their current position placed her very ample cleavage barely an inch away from his crotch, and her face only a few inches farther. _"I have probably the sexiest woman in town practically sitting in my lap- shit, I really shouldn't be thinking about this right now!"_ He gulped deeply as he felt himself start to get aroused. _"I hope she doesn't notice..."_

Luckily for him either she didn't notice or she didn't care, as she continues weeping and holding him tightly.

"I think Kent is an idiot." Edward said.

"Huh?" Jodi looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying, to meet his gaze.

"Kent is an idiot," Edward repeated. "He had the perfect woman and he gave that up for Pam? You're better than her in every way imaginable: Smart, caring, beautiful, and a truly fantastic mother. Penny turned out fine but that was in spite of her mother, not because of it. Sam and Vincent are great, and they're great because of you. If Kent can't see that and was willing to throw it all away for someone who doesn't even come close, then he never deserved you to begin with."

Jodi looked at him shocked, her mouth slightly agape.

"...Do you really mean all of that?" She asked softly. He nodded his head. She shifted her weight slightly and felt something hard press against one of her breasts. Her cheeks turned deep red as she realized what it was.

"Edward..."

And then she did something neither of them were expecting.

Before Edward had any time to react the distance between their faces closed and she pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened in surprise. Slowly as if waiting a moment to see if she would back out, he cupped her cheeks and leaned into the kiss. They stayed that way for several minutes, their lips locked in a soft embrace. Suddenly a quiet moan escaped her lips, and Edward pulled back from the kiss and dropped his hands. She looked at him, confused and hurt.

"Don't you want this?" She said looking down at his crotch, his arousal showing clearly through his thin pajama bottoms.

"Of course I do Jodi," He replied. "But I don't want to take advantage of you. So I have to ask... are you sure about this?"

In response Jodi moved in and gave him another quick peck on the lips. "You have no idea how long it's been since I've felt this way. So respected, so wanted. You make me feel better then Kent has in years," She leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Please... I need this."

That was all the encouragement Edward needed. He grabbed her hips and pulled her in until she was straddling him. There was a pause and she stared at him, a lustful look in her eyes. Breathing heavily they both leaned in and began kissing passionately. Their lips locked against each other, their tongues danced in each other's mouths.

Edward's hands slid down from her hips and grabbed Jodi's rear, eliciting a moan from her lips. She slid her hands down his muscular chest and abdomen and gripped the bottom of his shirt. Their lips parted as she pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it to the floor. She took a moment to admire his broad build and muscular chest and arms. It turned her on far more than she could ever remember Kent did. She kissed him hungrily, meaning into his mouth as he untied the front of her robe. He slid his hands underneath the soft fabric and up her body, taking time appreciate her toned stomach and grope her amble breasts before sliding the robe down her shoulders and onto the floor.

They were in a lust-filled high, completely blind to everything around them. In that moment all that they knew was each other. The explored each other's bodies as they pleased, savoring every blissful second that they spent building up to the ultimate climax of Jodi reaching for Edward's crotch.

She looked down at his still-covered package, licking her lips lustfully.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked her, his hands still fondling her large breasts. In response she kissed him passionately, intimately, and slid his rather large package through the hole in his pants. She lifted herself up, and in one swift motion she mounted him.

In that moment Jodi felt an immense gratitude towards Edward: Her savior. Her friend.

Her new lover.

 **A/N  
So that was my first Stardew Valley fic! I know it's weird to see a pairing like this but I've had a hardcore crush on Jodi since I first saw her in-game and I've always been salty that she's not a marriage option.**

I hope you all enjoyed, I know how much I enjoyed writing it. I'm a fairly new writer so I apologize if there are any grammatical errors.

I intended this to be a one shot, but if any of you want to see more then please let me know! I have a few ideas but idk if I want to continue it :P


End file.
